


A Selfish Being

by 11JJ11



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Gen, Nooroo deserves better, One Shot, Parent Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg Cares, Plagg knows what's going on, Potential Two Shot, Protective Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Selfish Plagg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 22:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20767712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/11JJ11/pseuds/11JJ11
Summary: Plagg is well aware of everything going on in the Agreste household, but his only concern is for Adrien.





	A Selfish Being

“Good night Plagg.”

“Turning in this early, kid?” The Kwami asked, hovering in the air upside down, a grin on his face.

Adrien shot him a glare– it was past midnight, and they had dealt with a difficult Akuma battle earlier in the day. And with a photoshoot in the morning, this most definitely wasn’t ‘early’ by any standards. Plagg simply cackled at the look Adrien gave him, before darting over to the cupboard where his camembert was stashed. He phased through the wall, helping himself to a piece of cheese.

“You little glutton,” Adrien muttered with a chuckle. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!” Plagg called back, not bothering to come out of his cupboard. He knew that Adrien wouldn’t question him, and with how tired the boy was it was only a matter of time before he was asleep. He helped himself to another piece of cheese in the meantime, purring slightly as he savored the wonderful flavor.

It wasn’t long until he heard the quiet snores that told him that Adrien was asleep, and he peeked his head out out of the cupboard, staring at the sleeping teen. Messy blond hair fell across his pillow, green eyes pressed shut, the exhaustion of today having easily overtaken him. Plagg darted out from his cheese stash, hovering above his holder just to make sure he was truly asleep, sticking out his tongue tauntingly.

The boy slept on.

Plagg smiled fondly down at Adrien– a smile he wouldn’t show the boy when he was awake– before flying away. He drifted towards the door, shooting one last glance back at Adrien. The last thing he needed was for him to wake up and for him to be gone, but of course he wouldn’t be going far. He darted through the closed door and into the dark hallway, looking about to make sure he wasn’t seen, before heading towards the kitchen.

There was a treasure trove of food here, and as much as he loved his camembert it never hurt to snag something else while he was here. He phased through the door of one of the many fridges, selecting a piece of swiss from the many kinds of cheese in front of him (one of the many advantages of having a rich Miraculous holder), before darting out and into another fridge. Fresh produce was stored away in this one, and Plagg hurried towards the platter of red grapes on the top shelf. He grunted as he grabbed the bunch, shifting his cheese slightly so he could carry both, before darting out of the fridge.

He panted slightly as he hovered in the kitchen, it was always harder to phase through objects when he was carrying something else with him. He didn’t hesitate with gobbling down the cheese he had borrowed, the delicious food instantly restoring his energy. He was tempted to eat the grapes as well, but he had to remind himself that they weren’t for him. Still his mouth watered as he held them in his paws, and he had to shake his head to get himself to focus.

The Kwami then darted off, phasing through the walls as he went in search of Gabriel Agreste’s room.

To the surprise of most people, the master bedroom of the mansion was smaller than the room that Adrien called his own. Of course Gabriel’s bedroom was by no means tiny, but it was quite clear he had wasted no expense when it came to making his son live in comfort. But in Adrien’s eyes it was simply an attempt to cover up what felt like a prison to him.

Plagg paused as he entered Gabriel’s room, lingering in the shadows, holding his breath. He could hear the soft breaths coming from the older man, but still he wanted to absolutely make sure that he was asleep before he did anything. He clutched his bunch of grapes closer, glancing about the room. Like Adrien’s room it had high ceilings and a spacious interior, though it was much more empty. It looked like a room you’d find in a magazine, pristine and clean– but looking as if no one truly lived in it.

Gabriel let out a small snore, which was enough for Plagg to relax. It was the same quiet snore Adrien had when he was fast asleep, so he was positive that the elder Agreste wouldn’t be waking up– which meant that he was free to explore. He darted forward, hovering right above the man’s face, tail lashing as he studied him. The Kwami then darted around the covers, poking at the folds and creases as he searched.

“Nooroo,” Plagg hissed. “Where are you, Nooroo?”

He heard a small whimper from the bedside table, and Plagg hurried over to a closed drawer. He set his grapes down on the table, pulling open the handle to peer inside. His expression softened when he saw a purple figure curled up inside the drawer, shaking with exhaustion. His fellow Kwami peered up at him, tears lining his eyes.

“Come on out,” Plagg said, drifting down to the butterfly Kwami’s side, grabbing his paw and tugging him up. With orders not to leave Gabriel’s side Nooroo couldn’t go far, which was why Plagg always saved his visits for at night. “I brought you some grapes– he didn’t feed you again, right?”

“Master only feeds me in the mornings,” Nooroo whispered, shaking as Plagg set him down on the table. He glanced over at Gabriel fearfully, the poor Kwami clearly having been pushed to its limits. The akuma that had been sent out today had been a powerful one, Plagg had been exhausted himself after transforming to fight it.

Any good Miraculous holder would feed their Kwamis after they exerted themselves, but Hawk Moth was far from what one would call a good holder. He would feed Nooroo in the morning so he’d have the energy to transform, but was more than willing to let Nooroo go hungry after the transformation was over.

Nooroo pounced on the grapes the moment he knew that Gabriel was asleep, not even chewing as he swallowed the fruit. Grapes were his favorite food, and so of course Gabriel went out of his way not to give it to him. Plagg was the only reason why he didn’t starve through the night, and Plagg was the only one that gave him the sweet food he loved so much. Nooroo didn’t even hesitate with eating the stems of the grape bunch, not wanting to leave any evidence that he had eaten without his master’s knowledge.

“That was one heck of an akuma you two sent out today,” Plagg said as Nooroo finished, the Kwami hunching over submissively. “My kit had us taking some nasty hits– thank goodness for the miraculous ladybugs– we would have had bruises for months otherwise!”

“Mmm,” Nooroo said, wrapping his arms around himself.

Plagg huffed. “Come on, don’t you want to talk to me? I could be getting me some more camembert right now if you don’t want my company.”

“W-wait! Don’t go!” Nooroo cried, then he yelped as he realized how loud he was. He covered his mouth, looking at Gabriel fearfully. The man turned over in his sleep, but gave no sign of waking up. “Please... the only time he talks to me is when he wants information, and usually I don’t have the answers Master wants...”

“What about Duusu? Don’t you ever get to talk to her?” Plagg asked.

“Not really, she’s usually in her broach when she’s not being used...” Nooroo muttered, wings twitching. “And she’s sick, so sick, she doesn’t act like herself anymore... even Master didn’t want to use her at first but now they’re making her transform and she’s hurting both her and her master.”

“Holder,” Plagg corrected. “They’re our holders, not our masters. The only master we have is the guardian.”

Nooroo looked at Plagg, purple eyes shining with tears. “Why won’t you tell the guardian that you know where me and Duusu are?”

The cat closed his eyes, a look of frustration crossing his face. “We aren’t having this conversation again.”

“Hawk Moth is using my powers for evil! Duusu’s being hurt when forced to transform!” Nooroo cried. “Paris is being attacked, and you could stop it! You could save me, you could stop this...” Tears poured down his face. “Please Plagg, _ please. _ I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. I want to go back to the Miracle Box– I don’t want to be alone anymore!”

“You’re not alone, you have me,” Plagg huffed, shoving aside the guilt that was forming in his heart. “You aren’t hurting anyone, your holder is. Duusu will be fine, her current holder will be long gone before any real harm comes to her. This is fine. You’re fine.”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” Nooroo whispered. “You could stop all of this. Aren’t you supposed to be protecting Paris?”

“Tikki and our holders are stopping your akumas, aren’t they?” Plagg crossed his arms. “That’s protecting Paris. I’m doing my job.”

“Plagg!”

The cat stiffened. “I’d be more quiet if I were you, you don’t want to wake up your  _ master _ now, do you?”

Nooroo swallowed. “Plagg...  _ please. _ Why are you doing this? I know you’re Destruction... but do you really want this? What would the guardian think? What would Tikki think?”

Plagg rose up into the air, refusing to look at the butterfly Kwami. “I should be getting back to my holder now, I’ll be back after the next Akuma with some food for you. Goodbye.”

Tears were falling down Nooroo’s face, but yet he didn’t protest further. Perhaps he was afraid of losing his only company, or perhaps his time with Gabriel had taught him not to fight back. He just stared at Plagg, not understanding why his brother was letting all of this continue on. He knew that Plagg couldn’t directly reveal the name of Gabriel to anyone, but it would be so easy to drop hints. To say ‘his holder’s father’ to work around the spell that kept them from saying a holder’s name.

Plagg phased through the wall of Gabriel’s room, tail lashing unhappily. His teeth gritted together, an eye twitching. He stared at the door for a moment, and his frustrated expression melted away into something else, the guilt he was feeling slipping its way onto his face. It was heavy, painful some days, seeing poor Nooroo like this... but he had his reasons. Plagg was well aware that he was being selfish, but he didn’t care– his holder would come before anyone else.

Even before Paris.

It didn’t take Plagg long to make his way back to Adrien’s room, he knew this mansion like the inside of his Miraculous. He often spent much of his free time exploring it, and it had only taken him a few months of living here to find the hidden rooms that were here. An observatory with a butterfly-shaped window, and the repository tucked away into the basement filled with butterflies themselves. It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots.

Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth– his holder’s own father was the man they were fighting against.

Plagg hovered above Adrien’s sleeping form, bright green eyes regarding his kitten. He had many Miraculous holders before, ones both good and evil, but never one quite as pure as Adrien was. It seemed ironic on paper, Destruction being wielded by one kind and innocent, but yet it made for the perfect match. Someone who used Destruction’s power to protect was a powerful force indeed, and the perfect match for a Ladybug. His holders had used him against Tikki before, and he could never be more grateful that it wouldn’t be so with these holders.

He drifted down, rubbing his face against Adrien’s, a low purr echoing out from him. The boy twitched in his sleep, a hand coming up to brush against his face, but he didn’t wake up. His Kwami landed on the pillow next to him, curling up close to Adrien. Words could not describe the feelings he felt for this little kitten, one that was different than any other holder that had come before.

He hadn’t expected too much when Master Fu had put his ring into circulation once more, just that he would get another Miraculous holder like he had many times before. Someone he could come to care about, hopefully someone who would treat him well, and together they’d fight to protect whatever threat there would be to face.

He had never expected that he’d get a holder that would  _ need  _ him.

Miraculous holders were supposed to be the ones that were needed, protectors against evil, heroes that people looked up to. The powers he granted were always used, they definitely improved his holder’s life, but personally they were something that they didn’t need for themselves. Anyone else could have used the Miraculous to do the same deeds that another could, which was why a heart was important to consider when handing out the jewels.

But Adrien had needed him– not just his powers– but  _ him. _ Adrien had needed someone to talk to, someone that could understand what he was going through, and be by his side at all times. Plagg had taken him away from the loneliness he had been living in for so long, a companion when he had no one else to turn to.

He wasn’t even that affectionate of a Kwami. Tikki had lectured him time and time again that he needed to be more compassionate with his kittens, but his Sugarcube was always focused on sweetness anyways. He was sure that if he had been as affectionate as she tended to be off the bat that he and Adrien wouldn’t have connected like they had. He had been treated like an object for so long, a prize to be protected but not loved, that he might have just outrightly rejected a connection like that.

Besides, he’d have his Lady to be all cuddly with once they got out of that little love square of theirs.

As Chat Noir Adrien was able to have an escape from the prison he had been trapped in for so long– both physically and emotionally. The persona he had as Chat Noir was very different from the one he carried as Adrien, but yet they were both him. His playful nature as Chat had to always be repressed when he was Adrien, so when the mask was on he let it all out at once. It was only in the moments he was alone that he was a perfect balance of both, sweet and gentle yet teasing and playful, and Plagg was the only one that was there in those moments.

His mother had been taken from him, his father repeatedly pushed him away, and so Plagg had decided it was his job to become both. In his own Kwami-way though, he wasn’t about to go all mother-hen on this kid or anything like that, that was Tikki’s job. Or maybe Orikko’s.

But he  _ would _ be there for this kid. He would listen to the grief and worries his father refused to handle. He would encourage mischief– because no child should be just an obedient robot. He would give advice, and perhaps a bit more if camembert was involved. He would comfort this kitten, keep his secrets. He would let him cry, and he would dry those tears.

Everyday Adrien danced a thin line, a line that was so horribly unfair. He had to be perfect, he had to listen, he had repeatedly been taught that he couldn’t make mistakes. Yet that behavior was never rewarded, he was just tucked away like a doll as soon as his father had no more use for him. Stepping outside of that perfection, making one little mistake would cost him dearly. He would get the attention he so desperately craved, that he needed– but that attention would be nothing but shame. Disappointment that he couldn’t be perfect, something that Plagg knew was impossible for any sort of being.

Then what little freedom Adrien had, the very few things he cherished, would be ripped from him as punishment. School shouldn’t be something a child had to fight for. Friends shouldn’t be a reward.  _ Isolation shouldn’t be what Adrien expected to live in. _

Yet despite all this, Adrien loved his father. Plagg saw it in his eyes, in those rare moments when a smile was sent his way, or when Gabriel even went as far as to hug him. It hurt Plagg so much, because that kind of affection from a parent shouldn’t be so rare that they become a child’s treasured memories. A hug shouldn’t be something that was talked about with awe days afterwards– it was something he deserved everyday.

Plagg closed his eyes, tears stinging them as he pressed up against Adrien’s cheek. Nooroo was right, he could end this right now. He could tell Adrien, Ladybug, and the Guardian where they could find Hawk Moth– they could strike with the element of surprise and defeat them. They could retrieve the missing Miraculouses and end this...

But defeating Hawk Moth would mean breaking Adrien’s heart.

He had felt the horror that had ran through Adrien when Ladybug had first suspected Gabriel was Hawk Moth, and no matter how Chat Noir had tried to play it off, Plagg had felt every emotion running through him in that moment. The hurt, the fear, the sorrow, the anger– and the sheer joy that had come when they had thought they were proven wrong. If Hawk Moth was unmasked Adrien would not only have to face those feelings once more, but this time it would be so much more real for him.

He would learn that every time an akuma had hurt Chat Noir that it had been his own father hurting him. That every time an akuma had targeted Adrien that Gabriel had been aware of the danger he was putting him in. He would come to understand that all the times his father was ‘busy’ it was to terrorize the city, not to bury himself in work. He would have to face the truth that his mother had been put as Gabriel’s only priority rather than his living, suffering son. That it was his father that had been hurting Paris, his friends, and his Lady. In order to stop Hawk Moth he would have to pit father against son.

That was only the tip of the iceberg that would be to come however. The freedom he had gained as Chat Noir would be gone, only replaced with the knowledge of what his father had done. Gabriel was a terrorist, and as soon as that knowledge came to the public Adrien would share part of the backlash that his father would get by simply being his son. His name would be hated, he could possibly be feared, all that on top of losing his father and Nathalie.

Finally there was his mother... he would see his mother’s comatose body. Kept only alive by the coffin she laid in. That she had been alive this whole time, and so close, and kept hidden from him. Everytime he fought against Hawk Moth he was fighting against getting his mother back, and he didn’t know how Adrien would swallow that. The fact that if Hawk Moth had won a life would have been given to get her back– and how that life might have been his.

Worse of all, if Hawk Moth was defeated... Emilie would die. She would no longer be kept alive, trapped in a coma that she could not be freed from without magic that rewrote the laws of the universe. She would be let go, and Adrien would have to suffer through her loss again.

Plagg would not put his kitten through that.

He was selfish, and he knew that, but he cared more about Adrien than he did Paris. So this Kwami would let Hawk Moth’s attacks keep coming, and he would happily give Adrien the powers to stop them. Ladybug would heal Paris, and life would continue on as it always had. Hawk Moth would keep fighting in vain, giving Adrien the freedom he desperately needed as Chat Noir.

Plagg would make up for the attention Gabriel refused to give Adrien, and those rare moments his father did offer them, Adrien would treasure. He wouldn’t tell anyone where Nooroo was, but he would bring Nooroo food and company to make his suffering all the less painful. Plagg would be there for his fellow Kwami, and more importantly he would be there for Adiren. He would protect him from the truth that could hurt him.

Life was far from perfect, but Adrien was happy, and Plagg would gladly give the world to see his Kitten smile.

**Author's Note:**

> There may be a part two in the future.


End file.
